Ariel D.

Lustre August 15,

2019
BSChE-V

Solid Waste Management Modern Practices & assessment on global-scale waste generation

Solid waste management is a world-wide problem that has been troubling us through
these years. Moreover, the proposed solutions such as treatment of wastes after proper disposal
and regulation of waste generation do not put an end to it. So long as there are commercial
products that exist and industrial establishments that continue to produce and generate wastes,
our problem will only worse from time to time. This paper summarizes and gives holistic
reviews about the article entitled “What a waste”. Municipal solid waste managers are charged
with an enormous task: get the waste out from underfootman do so in the most economically,
socially, and environmentally optimal manner possible. Solid waste management is almost
always the responsibility of local governments and is often their single largest budget item,
particularly in developing countries. What a Waste (1999) predicted that by 2025 the daily MSW
generation rate in Asia would be 1.8 million tonnes per day. These estimates are still accurate. At
present, the daily generation rate in South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific combined is
approximately 1 million tonnes per day. It is also said there that Low-income countries continue
to spend most of their SWM budgets on waste collection, with only a fraction going toward
disposal. This is the opposite in high-income countries where the main expenditure is on
disposal.

Rates of recycling are increasingly influenced by global markets, relative shipping costs,
and commodity prices. To carry out integrated solid waste management, local governments need
partners. National governments must reduce the externalities of waste by considering measures
such as full cost accounting, package deposits, manufacturer responsibility, and extended product
care. The general community, which is probably the most important stakeholder in waste
management activities, must also actively participate in the solutions by modifying their
behavior patterns. For example, they need to exert discipline in separating waste, using
containers in a beneficial way, and exercising environmentally friendly purchasing habits. In
solid waste management there is no ‘away’. When ‘throwing away’ waste, system complexities
and the integrated nature of materials and pollution are quickly apparent. For example, waste
incineration is expensive and poses challenges of air pollution and ash disposal. Incineration
requires waste placed outside for collection to be containerized to stay dry, and much of the
waste stream is not combustible. Landfills require land availability, and siting is often opposed
by potential neighboring residents. As per discussed in the Global Waste Management Practices,
there’s much difference in the methods used by low-income, middle-income and high-income
countries in terms of financial capacity causing the bottom ones focus on collection of waste
instead of treating them. Whereas, high-income countries have the start-of-the-art facilities to
raise their solid waste management on a different level.

Also, discipline of people in high-income countries are comparable to the lower ones it is
mainly influenced by education, type of government they have, implementation certain rules
abiding with the solid waste management. Locally, waste collection vehicles are large sources of
emissions and both incineration and landfilling contribute GHG emissions. Uncollected waste
can provide breeding areas and food to potentially disease carrying vectors such asinsects and
rodents, with their associated health and nuisance issues. Waste management cannot be
effectively managed without due consideration for issues such as the city’s overall GHG
emissions, labor market, land use planning, and other related concerns.

Increase in use of paper and paper packaging is probably the most obvious change. The
next most significant change is a much higher proportion of plastics, multimaterial items, and
“consumer products” and their related packaging materials. More newspapers and magazines
(along with corresponding increases in advertising), fast-service restaurants, single-serving
beverages, disposable diapers, more packaged foods, and more mass-produced products are all
byproducts of widespread increases in local “disposable incomes.” A negative side of greater
affluence is that it brings with it more waste, of higher volume (making waste more expensive to
collect). Often, increased use of plastic waste and food packaging results in a related rise in the
amount of litter. MSW generation rates are influenced by economic development, the degree of
industrialization, public habits, and local climate. Generally, the higher the economic
development and rate of urbanization, the greater the amount of solid waste produced. Income
level and urbanization are highly correlated and as disposable incomes and living standards
increase, consumption of goods and services correspondingly increases, as does the amount of
waste generated. Urban residents produce about twice as much waste as their rural counterparts.

Waste generation in sub-Saharan Africa is approximately 62 million tonnes per year. Per
capita waste generation is generally low in this region, but spans a wide range, from 0.09 to 3.0
kg per person per day, with an average of 0.65 kg/capita/day. The annual waste generation in
East Asia and the Pacific Region is approximately 270 million tonnes per year. This quantity is
mainly influenced by waste generation in China. In Eastern and Central Asia, the waste
generated per year is at least 93 million tonnes. Eight countries in this region have no available
data on waste generation in the literature. The per capita waste generation ranges from 0.29 to
2.1 kg per person per day, with an average of 1.1 kg/capita/day. Latin America and the
Caribbean has the most comprehensive and consistent data. The total amount of waste generated
per year in this region is 160 million tonnes, with per capita values ranging from 0.1 to 14
kg/capita/day, and an average of 1.1 kg/capita/day.

Waste collection is the collection of solid waste from point of production (residential,
industrial commercial, institutional) to the point of treatment or disposal. Municipal solid waste
is collected in several ways. It is important in in maintaining public health in cities around the
world. Municipal governments are usually the responsible agency for solid waste collection and
disposal, but the magnitude of the problem is well beyond the ability of any municipal
government. They need help. In addition to other levels of government, businesses and the
general community need to be more involved in waste management. Those MSW are collected
in several ways such as community bins, curbside pick-up, contracted service and etc.

The percent of MSW collected varies by national income and by region. Higher income
countries tend to have higher collection efficiency although less of the solid waste management
budget goes towards collection. In low-income countries, collection services make up the bulk of
a municipality’s SWM budget (as high as 80 to 90% in many cases), yet collection rates tend to
be much lower, leading to lower collection frequency and efficiency. Frequency of collection is
an important aspect readily under a municipality’s control. From a health perspective, no more
than weekly collection is needed. However, in some cities, largely because of culture and
habituation, three-times per day residential collection is offered.

Waste composition is also influenced by external factors, such as geographical location,

the population’s standard of living, energy source, and weather. In order to help solid waste
management practitioners, some strategies can be proposed. There is a striking degree of
similarity in municipal waste management needs and constraints across Asia. Local governments
should minimize residential waste collection frequency to a maximum of twice per week, which
is adequate from a public health perspective, but requires social acceptance. Citizens should be
encouraged to place their waste in containers that enhance collection efficiency. Waste collection
and disposal fees should be based on waste generation rates. Direct user charges and waste fee
collection should begin with the business community. Local governments must honestly and
respectfully gauge the public’s willingness and ability to participate in the design and
implementation of waste management programs. Through good partnerships, progressive
programs can be developed in a complementary manner. Although waste collection, treatment,
and disposal costs often place a large burden on local government finances, improper disposal is
far more expensive in the long run, with costs accruing over many years.